Dare County, N.C. say "NO TO BREED BAN- BSL"
This petition is in response to a possible BREED BAN that is being considered for Dare County,N.C. following a recent attack by 2 pitbulls which resulted in the tragic death of a labrador named JAZZ.
To see the petition story for Jazz please see the following link:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/87/justice-for-jazz
To see the article recently published in THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT which states a BREED BAN is being visited please see the following link:
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/dare-county-gets-power-hold-aggressive-dogs
As an officer who is part of an Animal Cruelty Awareness Organization and also a proud owner of a beautiful (rescued) labrador named Hailey, my sincere condolences go out to the Kent family for the tragic and heartbreaking loss of their labrador JAZZ. This is such a heartbreaking story that has been on my mind since I was contacted directly from someone who lives in Kitty Hawk N.C. with the news story and petition link for Jazz.
To me, Hailey is like my child and I know that there are many many others out there who share this same feeling. I can not imagine what the Kent family is going through and I am in total agreeance that the 2 pitbulls involved in Jazz%u2019s death have proven to be viscious in the past (per prior reports) and this horrific death could have been prevented if Dare County took the correct stance when these 2 dogs reportedly bit a neighbor and Animal Control had them in custody on prior occassions.
These dogs should have never been released back to their owners after the first reported and proven incident and I say this "no matter the breed". In this petition I send a message to Dare County that they too are at fault for Jazz's death as well as the owners of the 2 pitbull dogs. I know what it is to love your animal unconditionally but when they are a threat (no matter the breed) and have bitten a person THEN it is up to the owners to step up and do the responsible thing. Had this been done when the first person was bitten, the Kent family would not be mourning the loss of Jazz.
In reading the petition for Jazz, I saw that the dogs had been picked up running loose on other occasions and after making a phone call to Dare County I did find this to be accurate. This is a prime example of irresponsible ownership. I have such a hard time comprehending how 2 dogs (no matter the breed) can kill another dog and the OWNERS of the dogs who killed having the option of Euthanizing them or TAKING THEM HOME. That is WRONG WRONG WRONG and that is where Dare Counties problem lies. While I am in total agreeance that the 2 dogs needed to be euthanized immediately (and should have been when the first reports of them biting someone was reported), I also feel that after reading the recent newspaper article written By Catherine Kozak in The Virginian-Pilot dated February 20, 2009, I have to also express my feelings about how people are reacting to the dogs beings "pitbulls" and now the county possibly looking into a Breed Ban Law.
Any dog that is not socialized and trained can be a danger to the public. Any dog that has teeth can be a danger to the public if not properly raised by a responsible, dedicated and loving owner.
For those familiar with the Michael Vick x-pitbulls (dogfighting pitbulls) and for anyone who followed that story, these dogs were in the worst possible conditions (both mentally and physically). They were forced to fight day after day..They were beaten, they were starved and they were public enemy #1 as far as PETA and other Organizations were concerned, yet the day these dogs were found and were being loaded into the numerous animal control trucks, the looks on these dogs faces were unforgettable. They were absolutely terrified of everyone who was there to help them. They cowared as their heavy logging chains were being cut (attached to trees, car axels and metal posts driven in the hard ground). These were dogs who had fought and killed other dogs (no choice of their own) yet the fear in their eyes of those who just wanted to help them will haunt their rescuers forever. I will never forget their terrified eyes.
And for those who didn't follow the story, there were 49 pitbulls taken from Michael Vick's property. After a state Judge ordered them be evaluted (not euthanized) we only lost 2 of them. One due to extreme aggression and one due to health. The 47 survivors went on to several different rescues for rehabilitation. One is now a Certified Therapy Dog, all are preparing (or have already taken and passed) their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Tests and many of them are adopted out in new loving homes.
Let these dogs story be living proof that it is not the BREED that needs to be banned or extinguished or killed. The responsibility falls back to the owner(s) and that's where it needs to be placed. The owners of these 2 dogs should be held liable and Dare County needs to do something about their ridiculous laws that put these 2 dogs back on the streets when the first incident happened.
A breed ban is not going to stop this from happening again in the future. A breed ban is going to most affect the responsible and dedicated pitbull owners of Dare County. It is going to affect the innocent more than the responsible parties of incidents such as this.
This petition will hopefully send a message to Dare Counties elected officials at the local, county and state levels that it is time to address the growing problem of irresponsible dog ownership as well as sending a loud message that the laws and ordinances with regard to dangerous dogs (not specifically to a breed but to dogs which have attacked, bitten or gotten loose from their owners containment) be revisted, rewritten, enacted and enforced, so that the innocent will be protected and the guilty party will be punished.
I hope that I have made some sense to some people who think banning a breed is the solution. Dogs are not born viscious or mean. It is a learned or taught behavior which again falls back to the owner of the dog(s). It is definitely time for a change in Dare County, however let%u2019s be sure we are making a positive not negative change. One other important thing I would like to mention is that Nagshead and all it's beaches are well known to be a very big tourist spot. Because of the pet friendliness (and beautiful beaches) my family spends a week every summer at your beaches and I have many friends (with pitbulls) who choose Nagshead for the very same reasons. I am proud to say that of all places to get married, I chose an oceanfront wedding and we were wed on 7/8/08. As one of the most important days of my life, I chose your State and Nagshead Beach to make my memories. However had a breed ban been in effect at the time, my memories would have been made somewhere else and I honestly believe should a Breed Ban be passed, Nagshead's revenue will be severely affected. And I am only addressing your yearly vacation visitors.
For anyone interested there is a website about the Organization that I am a part of. WWW.JUSTICEFORGAGE.COM. My name is Sherry Kidwell and if anyone wants to contact me please feel free to send me a message. Thank you for those who have made it to point of reading this entire petition and thank you for you willingness to help Dare County learn that banning an entire breed of dog is not the solution.
Sincerely,
Sherry Kidwell
This petition is in response to a possible BREED BAN that is being considered for Dare County,N.C. following a recent attack by 2 pitbulls which resulted in the tragic death of a labrador named JAZZ.
To see the petition story for Jazz please see the following link:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/87/justice-for-jazz
To see the article recently published in THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT which states a BREED BAN is being visited please see the following link:
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/dare-county-gets-power-hold-aggressive-dogs
As an officer who is part of an Animal Cruelty Awareness Organization and also a proud owner of a beautiful (rescued) labrador named Hailey, my sincere condolences go out to the Kent family for the tragic and heartbreaking loss of their labrador JAZZ. This is such a heartbreaking story that has been on my mind since I was contacted directly from someone who lives in Kitty Hawk N.C. with the news story and petition link for Jazz.
To me, Hailey is like my child and I know that there are many many others out there who share this same feeling. I can not imagine what the Kent family is going through and I am in total agreeance that the 2 pitbulls involved in Jazz%u2019s death have proven to be viscious in the past (per prior reports) and this horrific death could have been prevented if Dare County took the correct stance when these 2 dogs reportedly bit a neighbor and Animal Control had them in custody on prior occassions.
These dogs should have never been released back to their owners after the first reported and proven incident and I say this "no matter the breed". In this petition I send a message to Dare County that they too are at fault for Jazz's death as well as the owners of the 2 pitbull dogs. I know what it is to love your animal unconditionally but when they are a threat (no matter the breed) and have bitten a person THEN it is up to the owners to step up and do the responsible thing. Had this been done when the first person was bitten, the Kent family would not be mourning the loss of Jazz.
In reading the petition for Jazz, I saw that the dogs had been picked up running loose on other occasions and after making a phone call to Dare County I did find this to be accurate. This is a prime example of irresponsible ownership. I have such a hard time comprehending how 2 dogs (no matter the breed) can kill another dog and the OWNERS of the dogs who killed having the option of Euthanizing them or TAKING THEM HOME. That is WRONG WRONG WRONG and that is where Dare Counties problem lies. While I am in total agreeance that the 2 dogs needed to be euthanized immediately (and should have been when the first reports of them biting someone was reported), I also feel that after reading the recent newspaper article written By Catherine Kozak in The Virginian-Pilot dated February 20, 2009, I have to also express my feelings about how people are reacting to the dogs beings "pitbulls" and now the county possibly looking into a Breed Ban Law.
Any dog that is not socialized and trained can be a danger to the public. Any dog that has teeth can be a danger to the public if not properly raised by a responsible, dedicated and loving owner.
For those familiar with the Michael Vick x-pitbulls (dogfighting pitbulls) and for anyone who followed that story, these dogs were in the worst possible conditions (both mentally and physically). They were forced to fight day after day..They were beaten, they were starved and they were public enemy #1 as far as PETA and other Organizations were concerned, yet the day these dogs were found and were being loaded into the numerous animal control trucks, the looks on these dogs faces were unforgettable. They were absolutely terrified of everyone who was there to help them. They cowared as their heavy logging chains were being cut (attached to trees, car axels and metal posts driven in the hard ground). These were dogs who had fought and killed other dogs (no choice of their own) yet the fear in their eyes of those who just wanted to help them will haunt their rescuers forever. I will never forget their terrified eyes.
And for those who didn't follow the story, there were 49 pitbulls taken from Michael Vick's property. After a state Judge ordered them be evaluted (not euthanized) we only lost 2 of them. One due to extreme aggression and one due to health. The 47 survivors went on to several different rescues for rehabilitation. One is now a Certified Therapy Dog, all are preparing (or have already taken and passed) their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Tests and many of them are adopted out in new loving homes.
Let these dogs story be living proof that it is not the BREED that needs to be banned or extinguished or killed. The responsibility falls back to the owner(s) and that's where it needs to be placed. The owners of these 2 dogs should be held liable and Dare County needs to do something about their ridiculous laws that put these 2 dogs back on the streets when the first incident happened.
A breed ban is not going to stop this from happening again in the future. A breed ban is going to most affect the responsible and dedicated pitbull owners of Dare County. It is going to affect the innocent more than the responsible parties of incidents such as this.
This petition will hopefully send a message to Dare Counties elected officials at the local, county and state levels that it is time to address the growing problem of irresponsible dog ownership as well as sending a loud message that the laws and ordinances with regard to dangerous dogs (not specifically to a breed but to dogs which have attacked, bitten or gotten loose from their owners containment) be revisted, rewritten, enacted and enforced, so that the innocent will be protected and the guilty party will be punished.
I hope that I have made some sense to some people who think banning a breed is the solution. Dogs are not born viscious or mean. It is a learned or taught behavior which again falls back to the owner of the dog(s). It is definitely time for a change in Dare County, however let%u2019s be sure we are making a positive not negative change. One other important thing I would like to mention is that Nagshead and all it's beaches are well known to be a very big tourist spot. Because of the pet friendliness (and beautiful beaches) my family spends a week every summer at your beaches and I have many friends (with pitbulls) who choose Nagshead for the very same reasons. I am proud to say that of all places to get married, I chose an oceanfront wedding and we were wed on 7/8/08. As one of the most important days of my life, I chose your State and Nagshead Beach to make my memories. However had a breed ban been in effect at the time, my memories would have been made somewhere else and I honestly believe should a Breed Ban be passed, Nagshead's revenue will be severely affected. And I am only addressing your yearly vacation visitors.
For anyone interested there is a website about the Organization that I am a part of. WWW.JUSTICEFORGAGE.COM. My name is Sherry Kidwell and if anyone wants to contact me please feel free to send me a message. Thank you for those who have made it to point of reading this entire petition and thank you for you willingness to help Dare County learn that banning an entire breed of dog is not the solution.
Sincerely,
Sherry Kidwell
We the undersigned,
I was deeply saddened to read the story of Jazz, a beautiful labrador who was chased by 2 pitbulls (running loose) that jumped the fence into Jazz's yard, chased him through his doggie door into what was supposed to be Jazz's safe place (his home) and horribly attacked and killed him. I myself have a yellow labrador and can not begin to imagine what Jazz's family has and is going through right now. My sincere condolences go to this family and all who knew and loved Jazz.
I would like to ask that you please reconsider passing a breed ban ordinance in Dare County and counties surrounding. A Breed Ban is not a solution to this "single" attack incident that recently happened in your county and we stress to all Dare Counties elected officials at the local, county and state levels that it is time to address the growing problem of irresponsible dog ownership as well as sending a loud message that the laws and ordinances with regard to dangerous dogs (not specifically to a breed, but to dogs which have attacked, bitten or gotten loose from their owners containment) be revisted, rewritten, enacted and enforced, so that the innocent will be protected and the guilty party will be punished. Sadly I believe had this been done years ago, Jazz would still be with his family.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read.
Breed bans are ineffective, expensive and discriminatory. Please follow the link and sign our petition, as well: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/370/petition-to-oppose-breed-ban-in-wilkes-barre-pa
BSL - Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is designed to place restrictions on ownership of certain breeds of dogs. It's almost never the dog..and always the person bringing up the dog. Please vote no.
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4:53 pm PDT, Jun 5,
Crystal Overland, Louisiana
BSL IS ILLEGAL! WE HAVE RIGHTS AND SO DO OUR DOGS!!! |
as a post owner of a pitt, I think to ban them would be wrong. ANY dog can be mean, it's how people raise them.
It has to do with the owner not the dog that is the same with any breed of dog. I have 6 Pit bulls and they are fine with all animals and people including my 2 year old niece so it isn't fair to point the finger at one specific breed of dog when all dogs can and will bite if provoked.
i realy dont no what to say.y no the truth about this bsl crape! and this aint it.jeff
Its not the breed, it is the species. Dogs bite. Is there a breed of dog that won't bite? You can split hairs about breeds, but any breed when they play and when they're provoked a will probably bite. The breed has absolutely nothing to do with the a dog being dangerous, the problem of dangeous dogs lies solely on the dog's owner. The owner is resposible for the environment that a dog is raised in. The owner is responsible for a dogs' training and diet. The owner is resposible if a dog bits someone or is in a dog fight. The statistics do not tell the whole story. All the statistcs on dog attacks or biting humans that I have seen are totally centered around the breed of the dog. This approach is totaly the wrong to solving this problem. Are there any statistics on the dogs' owners? If not, then those that compile statistics are failing us. No dog breed is predisposed to be dangerous, it is the behavior of an abusive owner who promotes bad behavior in their pet causing them to become dangerous. Any breed can be "trained" (by abuse or lack of proper training) to be dangerous. The prolem of BSL is there are false ideas about certain breeds being more dangerous than others and these false ideas have found their way into laws. It is pure ignorance to suggest in the least amount the one breed is more dangerous, or more prone to bite, than another, and it is narrow minded prejudice that would lead anyone to say there is such a thing as a dangerous breed and permit breed specific legislation. Breed needs to be taken entirely out of the issue of dangerous dogs and owner responsibility has to become the issue.
it's not the breed, it's the owner... if something has to be done, there should be some sort of restriction on who buys them.
Owners perhaps need to be checked for ability to care for dogs prior to ownership... some breeds have become notorious due to bad training/handling Some people need a lot of support if they keep pets ...perhaps some incompetent with dogs should be banned
My Name is dustin the dawg you see in the picture is my 15 month old Blue Brindle its not an up to date photo of him he is now a little bigger an as always rambuntious,an loves to be the center of attention, of course if you have ever owned a bully you know what i mean. he loves kids he plays with my littl cousins when ever they come over hailey-4 cale-2, they love him as does he them, i love my dawg an will fight for my right to keep him free. i ask anyone else out there who may read this to also help in the fight against bsl,
it's not the animal that is the problem, it's the irresponsible pet owners fault.
Fear is the killer here, not pits
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7:47 pm PDT, Apr 22,
Jennifer Hall, Tennessee
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This is a horrible which happen, but still punnishment should lay in the hands of the owners. You know the temperment of your own dog. Someone should of reported the owners in the first place, im sure something had to be obvious before this even happened. I dont think the pits should of been killed, but taken away from owners, and owners punnished in some form. The dogs should have been sent to a rehabilitation site for pits. This is a sad story on both ends which should have been recoginized beforehand.
Stop this terrible ban! We love our sweet loving pit bull babies!
I have a year and a half old blue nose female pitbull. Shes the most lovable thing in the world. She thinks shes a cat for godsakes. She loves kids and gets along great with other dogs. I think its bull**** me and all the other people who own bull breeds are gonna be penalized because of people that raise their dogs to be mean and aggressive. Animals are just like kids, they have their own personallities and everything. Just like kids, its all in how you raise them. If you raise them not to like other people their gonna grow up a fighter if teach them to be repsectful and nice thats how they will be. The owners are responsible for their dogs actions.
We are all One. When one is harmed, all are harmed. When one is helped, all are helped.
I always remember Cesar Milan's 'Daddy', who really opened my eyes to the gentleness and stability of a Pit Bull. This is like racial prejudice. I also know Staffies who are wonderful, personable dogs. Like humans, each dog is different AND SHOULD BE JUDGED ON ITS OWN MERIT. It's like saying that all black or all white or all chinese people are all the same. However these dogs in particular should be confiscated form the owners and sent for rehabilitation. As Cesar Milan says it is not te dogs who need the training but the owners.
While it is a tragic loss to the ower's of Jazz, banning the family compantions of responsible dog owner's is not the answer. Justice does not penalize ALL for the misdeeds of a FEW. Please handle dangerous dogs on a case by case basis, regardless of the breed.
Please consider what you are doing to thousands and thousands of families with this ban. You are taking away a beloved family member. Not every one who owns and pit bull, or a bull breed for that mater, raises them in a violet, uncaring manner. My baby girl is a mix of pit bull and american bulldog and she is the sweetest thing ever. Wouldn't hurt a fly. My 3 year old can poke and pull on our girl and she doesn't even care. Just think about what you are doing...and punish the DEED not the BREED! Thank you!
